HIRE TALENT  /  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & OPS  /  VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Construction Executive Search

Hire a VP of Business Development

Retained VP of BD search for GC, CM, owner, and developer firms — multi-region pursuit strategy, C-suite pursuit-team leadership, and enterprise account-book depth. Board-referenced, confidential outreach.

Hire a VP of Business Development → How it works
Photo of a Vetted VP of BDExample profile
Andre B.
Vetted Specialist
Business Development & Ops
VP of Business Development
ULI · DBIA · Board-Facing
Firm types
GC · CM · Owner · Developer
General contractor, CM, owner, developer offices
Engagement type
Retained executive search
Confidential outreach, board-referenced
Geography
US + EMEA
Active VP BD network in both markets
Placement warranty
Replacement guarantee
Every C-suite placement
How It Works

Hire a VP of BD in 3 steps

A structured retained-search process for the C-suite BD seat — where the wrong VP BD costs multi-year account relationships and the Director of BD bench.

Step 01

CEO / board kickoff

60–90 minute session with CEO / board. Align on target accounts, pursuit strategy, BD bench, and confidentiality.

Step 02

Retained-search shortlist

Discreet outreach across a targeted candidate universe. Shortlist of 3–5 VP BD candidates with board memos, references, and independent 360 diligence.

Step 03

Board slate & placement

Final CEO/board slate. Replacement guarantee protects the placement through the transition window.

Why iRecruit.co for VP of BD Hires

What makes our VP of BD shortlist different

VPs of BD anchor multi-region pursuit strategy and enterprise account book. Multi-region pursuit history, Director of BD bench leadership, and enterprise-account-book depth separate a VP BD who compounds pursuit-hit-rate from one who becomes the reason Chief Estimators refuse to qualify pursuits.

01

Multi-region pursuit strategy verified

Every VP BD candidate has verified multi-region pursuit strategy history — not senior Director BD tenure re-titled.

02

Director of BD bench leadership

Reference-verified retention, promotion, and BD-team culture built across multi-region Director BD bench.

03

Enterprise account-book depth

Verified enterprise account-book depth — not individual named-account BD tenure. Referenced from prior CEOs and top clients.

Meet Vetted VP of BD Candidates

The caliber of VP of BD you’ll interview

Every candidate is board-referenced, CEO-vetted, and matched to your firm. Anonymized examples below reflect real retained-search profiles.

Vetted SpecialistMale VP BD - national GCExample profile

Adam D.

National GC VP of Business Development
  • VP BD over $2.8B annual pursuit portfolio
  • Led 5 Directors of BD across regions
  • Enterprise hyperscale account-book depth
ULIDBIABoard-Facing
Vetted SpecialistFemale VP BD - healthcare CMExample profile

Sofia A.

Healthcare CM Firm VP of BD
  • VP BD over $3B annual health-system pursuits
  • Grew BD team from 4 to 8 Directors
  • Facilities-director + CFO relationships across region
ASHEDBIASMPS
Vetted SpecialistMale VP BD - owner-sideExample profile

Connor D.

Developer VP of Business Development
  • VP BD over industrial developer platform
  • Sourced $1.4B in build-to-suit + JV pipeline
  • Institutional-tenant relationships across metros
NAIOPULISalesforce
VP of BD Specializations

Match the VP of BD specialty to your firm

“VP of BD” means different things across firm types. Below are the retained-search specializations we handle:

GC VP of BD
General contractor VP BD
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CM Firm VP of BD
Construction management VP BD
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Hyperscale DC VP of BD
Hyperscale-anchored VP BD
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Healthcare VP of BD
Health-system-anchored VP BD
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Life Sciences VP of BD
Biopharma-anchored VP BD
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Industrial VP of BD
Industrial developer VP BD
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Owner-Side VP of BD
Owner / developer VP BD
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Chief Growth Officer
CGO / enterprise growth leader
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Director of BD (peer)
Director-level BD leader
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VP of Marketing (peer)
Marketing-side C-suite
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CEO (peer role)
C-suite CEO placements
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Confidential VP BD Search
Retained, discreet outreach
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Not sure which VP of BD specialty fits?

We’ll help you scope the mandate on the CEO / board kickoff — target accounts, pursuit strategy, and Director BD bench.

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Vetting Criteria

What we verify on every VP of BD candidate

VP of BD hires live and die on multi-region pursuit strategy, Director of BD bench leadership, and enterprise account-book depth. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:

Multi-region pursuit strategy

Reference-verified from prior CEOs and boards.

Director of BD bench leadership

Reference-verified BD-team retention, promotion, and culture built.

Enterprise account-book depth

Verified enterprise account-book from prior CEOs and top clients.

Board-facing composure

Verified board-briefing discipline on pursuit portfolio and pipeline.

Pursuit-hit-rate track record

Reference-verified pursuit-hit-rate improvement at enterprise level.

Compensation architecture fit

Base + variable + LTI + equity architecture aligned with board and CEO expectations before finalists.

FAQ

Hiring a VP of Business Development: frequently asked questions

How long does a VP of BD retained search take?

Time to CEO / board-facing shortlist is typically 4–6 weeks. Total time to placement is typically 60–120 days.

What does a VP of BD retained search cost?

All VP-level searches are retained. Fee is typically 30–35% of first-year cash comp.

Do you handle confidential incumbent-replacement VP BD searches?

Yes. Retained-search discretion is standard.

Do you place across GC, CM, owner, and developer VP BDs?

Yes. All firm types are core coverage.

How do you verify enterprise account-book depth?

Reference-verify with prior CEOs, top clients, and Chief Estimators on account-book durability across leadership turnover.

Do you offer a placement guarantee?

Yes. Every VP BD placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in the retained-search agreement.

Can you build the full BD leadership team?

Yes. Team builds (VP BD + Directors + BD Managers) route through executive search plus embedded recruiting.

How is iRecruit.co different from a generalist executive-search firm?

Generalist ES firms lack construction-industry account fluency at the VP BD level. iRecruit.co VP BD recruiters verify multi-region pursuit strategy and enterprise account-book depth — every candidate is matched to your firm.

Ready to hire

Talk to a construction VP BD search partner

60–90 minute CEO / board kickoff. We’ll align on target accounts, pursuit strategy, BD bench, and confidentiality — then start the retained-search process.

Hire a VP of Business Development →
Related: Director of BD hiring  ·  Marketing Director hiring
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